Saber Best Builds, Teams & Relics

Honkai: Star Rail
Last Updated: on Jul 10, 2025 at 11:00

Introductions

Saber is a 5★ Wind Character following the Path of Destruction. Saber is a Main DPS that is all about Energy Generation to build her immensely powerful Ultimate and devastate enemies in a pillar of light. Saber is a Collaboration Event Character.
Our Saber Build Guide will show you the best Lightcones, Relics and Team Compositions build the best Saber you can.

Saber's Best Light Cone

The percentage numbers listed showcase the relative DPS increase when you take into account both the Lightcone Effect(s) and Cones Base Stats.

A Thankless Coronation (S1)
120.1%
Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36.0 / 45.0 / 54.0 / 63.0 / 72.0%. When using Ultimate, increases the wearer's ATK by 40.0 / 50.0 / 60.0 / 70.0 / 80.0%, and if the wearer's Max Energy is greater than or equal to 300, regenerates a fixed amount of Energy equal to 10.0% of the wearer's Max Energy and once again increases the wearer's ATK by 40.0 / 50.0 / 60.0 / 70.0 / 80.0%, lasting for 2 turns.
This is Saber's Signature 5★ Lightcone. This is Saber's Best-in-slot Lightcone in most situations. This Lightcone provides Saber with CRIT DMG, a large amount of much needed ATK % and Energy Generation after using her Ultimate.
Thus Burns the Dawn (S1)
116%
The wearer's base SPD increases by 12 / 14 / 16 / 18 / 20. When the wearer deals DMG, ignores 18.0 / 22.5 / 27.0 / 31.5 / 36.0% of the target's DEF. After the wearer uses Ultimate, obtains "Blazing Sun," which is removed at the start of their turn. While "Blazing Sun" is in possession, increases the wearer's DMG dealt by 60.0 / 78.0 / 96.0 / 114.0 / 132.0%.
This is Phainon's Signature 5★ Lightcone and is Saber's second best option. This Lightcone provides an increase to base SPD, DEF Ignore and a single turn DMG boost when using Ultimate which is effectively Ultimate DMG % for Saber. This can be better than Saber's Signature Lightcone in teams where the base SPD is valuable but we do not suggest swapping this Lightcone off Phainon unless you are not playing him anymore as the Lightcone is a bigger increase for Phainon compared to other available options.
On the Fall of an Aeon (S5)
100%
When the wearer attacks, increases their ATK by 8.0 / 10.0 / 12.0 / 14.0 / 16.0% in this battle. This effect can stack up to 4 time(s). After the wearer breaks an enemy's Weakness, increases DMG dealt by 12.0 / 15.0 / 18.0 / 21.0 / 24.0%, lasting for 2 turn(s).

Sources: Herta's Store
This is the Herta's Store Destruction 5★ Lightcone making it reasonably easy to get. This Lightcone provides a significant amount of much needed ATK % as well as DMG % when you break an enemy. Saber can break Wind Weak enemies reasonably easily as she has very high toughness damage on her Ultimate but against enemies where she is not reliably breaking this Lightcone becomes 2-3% worse.
A Trail of Bygone Blood (S5)
99%
Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 12.0 / 14.0 / 16.0 / 18.0 / 20.0%. The Skill DMG and Ultimate DMG dealt by the wearer increase by 24.0 / 28.0 / 32.0 / 36.0 / 40.0%.
This is a 4★ Battlepass Lightcone that provides a significant amount of CRIT Rate, Skill DMG and Ultimate DMG. Approximately 90-95% of Saber's damage is Skill or Ultimate so this Lightcone is very good and is basically a stronger A Secret Vow having higher Base ATK and extra CRIT Rate.
Something Irreplaceable (S1)
94.9%
Increases the wearer's ATK by 24.0 / 28.0 / 32.0 / 36.0 / 40.0%. When the wearer defeats an enemy or is hit, immediately restores HP equal to 8.0 / 9.0 / 10.0 / 11.0 / 12.0% of the wearer's ATK. At the same time, the wearer's DMG is increased by 24.0 / 28.0 / 32.0 / 36.0 / 40.0% until the end of their next turn. This effect cannot stack and can only trigger 1 time per turn.

Sources: Stellar Warp
This is Clara's Signature 5★ Lightcone. The DMG % Boost uptime will not be 100% because Saber will not be hit every single turn and it will expire whenever she receives an Action Advance from a Support unit or from her A2 Trace Knight of the Dragon. Overall this Lightcone is a decent option for players who cannot use On the Fall of an Aeon and do not have S3+ A Trail of Bygone Blood.
A Trail of Bygone Blood (S1)
93.2%
Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 12.0 / 14.0 / 16.0 / 18.0 / 20.0%. The Skill DMG and Ultimate DMG dealt by the wearer increase by 24.0 / 28.0 / 32.0 / 36.0 / 40.0%.
A Secret Vow (S5)
91%
Increases DMG dealt by the wearer by 20.0 / 25.0 / 30.0 / 35.0 / 40.0%. The wearer also deals an extra 20.0 / 25.0 / 30.0 / 35.0 / 40.0% of DMG to enemies whose current HP percentage is equal to or higher than the wearer's current HP percentage.

Sources: Stellar Warp
This is a 4★ Limited Lightcone that provides a large amount of DMG%. The DMG % is also increased on targets with higher percentage Health remaining than Saber which is extremely rare to occur.
A Secret Vow (S1)
86.2%
Increases DMG dealt by the wearer by 20.0 / 25.0 / 30.0 / 35.0 / 40.0%. The wearer also deals an extra 20.0 / 25.0 / 30.0 / 35.0 / 40.0% of DMG to enemies whose current HP percentage is equal to or higher than the wearer's current HP percentage.

Sources: Stellar Warp

Best Relics and Planar Ornaments for Saber

Best Relics for Saber

These are the best Relic Sets to build for Saber. The percentage shows the relative difference to Saber's best performing set.

Wavestrider Captain
100%
2-Piece Set: Increases CRIT DMG by 16.0%.
4-Piece Set: When the wearer becomes the target of another ally target's ability, gains 1 stack of "Help," stacking up to 2 time(s). If there are 2 stack(s) of "Help" when the wearer uses their Ultimate, consumes all "Help" to increase the wearer's ATK by 48.0% for 1 turn(s).
This is Sabers best Relic Set to Build. The 2pc CRIT DMG bonus is one of the best 2pc Bonuses and the 4pc's 48% ATK Buff is very strong. The ATK buff will be activated by her Ultimate and last until the end of her Next Turn, meaning it will buff both her Ultimate and the Enhanced Basic ATK which corresponds to the majority of her total damage dealt.
Scholar Lost in Erudition
98%
2-Piece Set: Increases CRIT Rate by 8.0%.
4-Piece Set: Increases DMG dealt by Skill and Ultimate by 20.0%. After using Ultimate, additionally increases the DMG dealt by the next Skill by 25.0%.
This is Sabers second best Relic Set to Build. The 2pc CRIT Rate bonus is one of the best 2pc Bonuses and the 4pc's DMG boost for Ultimate and Skill DMG is very powerful as approximately 90-95% of Saber's Damage comes from her Ultimate and Skill, however most of that damage is coming from her Ultimate so the extra effect granting 25% DMG to the next skill is not as powerful as Wavestrider Captain's 4pc.
The overall power of this set is close enough that if you have 2-3 (CRIT/ATK %) more useful substats on a Scholar set it can outperform a Wavestrider set.
Wavestrider Captain
95%
Scholar Lost in Erudition
2-Piece Set: Increases CRIT DMG by 16.0%.
4-Piece Set: When the wearer becomes the target of another ally target's ability, gains 1 stack of "Help," stacking up to 2 time(s). If there are 2 stack(s) of "Help" when the wearer uses their Ultimate, consumes all "Help" to increase the wearer's ATK by 48.0% for 1 turn(s).
2-Piece Set: Increases CRIT Rate by 8.0%.
4-Piece Set: Increases DMG dealt by Skill and Ultimate by 20.0%. After using Ultimate, additionally increases the DMG dealt by the next Skill by 25.0%.
If you do not have a good set of Wavestrider Captain or Scholar Lost in Erudition pieces then hybrid 2pc-2pc is another viable option. You would need approximately 5-6 more useful substats (CRIT/ATK%) on a 2pc-2pc pairing to outperform a Wavstrider set. These are suggested 2pc pieces in the order we would recommend using them in:
  1. Scholar Lost in Erudition (8% CRIT Rate)
  2. Wavestrider Captain (16% CRIT DMG)
  3. Hero of Triumphant Song/The Wind-Soaring Valorous/Prisoner in Deep Confinement/Musketeer of Wild Wheat - (12% ATK)

Best Planar Ornaments

Firmament Frontline: Glamoth
97.5%/101%
2-Piece Set: Increases the wearer's ATK by 12.0%. When the wearer's SPD is equal to or higher than 135/160, the wearer deals 12.0%/18.0% more DMG.
This is Saber's best-in-slot Planar Ornament when playing with at least 135 SPD to get the 12% DMG boost. If you do not have at least 135 SPD this is significantly worse than other options.
Space Sealing Station
97.5%/100.4%
2-Piece Set: Increases the wearer's ATK by 12.0%. When the wearer's SPD reaches 120 or higher, the wearer's ATK increases by an extra 12.0%.
This is a competitive option for Saber if you have at least 120 SPD to get the extra 12% ATK from this Planar Ornament. If you do not have at least 120 SPD this is significantly worse than other options.
Inert Salsotto
100%
2-Piece Set: Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 8.0%. When the wearer's current CRIT Rate reaches 50.0% or higher, the DMG dealt by the wearer's Ultimate and Follow-up ATK increases by 15.0%.
This is Saber's best universal Planar Ornament. When playing with less than 135 SPD this is her Best-in-slot and is otherwise generally competitive. We suggest building this Relic Set as it is the most universally usable one for Saber if you change your mind about how you wish to play her in the future. The Follow-up ATK DMG granted by this Relic Set does not do anything for Saber but the 8% CRIT Rate and 15% Ultimate DMG are very strong as Saber deals approximately 60-70% Ultimate damage.
Rutilant Arena
99%
2-Piece Set: Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 8.0%. When the wearer's current CRIT Rate reaches 70.0% or higher, DMG dealt by Basic ATK and Skill increases by 20.0%.
This is Saber's second best universal Planar Ornament. When playing with less than 135 SPD this is her second best and is otherwise generally competitive. This set is weaker than Inert Salsotto because only approximately 35% of Saber's damage is Basic ATK or Skill.

Saber's Stat Priority

Body
CRIT DMG
>
CRIT Rate
Feet
SPD
=
ATK%
Planar Sphere
Wind DMG Boost
>
ATK%
Link Rope
ATK%
Stat Priority
SPD (To Breakpoints)
>
CRIT Rate
>
CRIT DMG
=
ATK%

Recommended Endgame Stats for Saber

HP
2800+
DEF
900+
ATK
2400+ (Spd Boots)/2800+ (ATK Boots)
CRIT Rate
60-80% (On Stats Page)
SPD
Base SPD / 134+
CRIT DMG
140%+

Traces Priority

Skills Priority
Ultimate > Talent > Skill > Basic
Major Traces Priority
Knight of the Dragon > Crown of the Star > Blessing of the Lake

Saber Build Comments

Character Explanation Build Advice -1 SPD from AV Unit Hyperspeed AV Unit No AV Unit

Character Explanation

Saber's Gameplay is focused around her Core Resonance Resource Mechanic from her Talent Dragon Reactor Core which generates energy for her Ultimate Excalibur.

The majority of Saber's Damage comes from her Ultimate (~65%) and her Enhanced Basic ATK Release, the Golden Scepter (~10%) that you can use after using her Ultimate. Saber's Skill Strike Air: Hammer of the Wind King deals significant damage when it consumes Core Resonance but otherwise is lower damage but due to overall quantity it still deals a large amount of damage in total (~25%).

Saber can accumulate up to 120 excess energy thanks to her A4 Passive Blessing of the Lake which means you do not have to worry about overcapping energy and means you do not need to use her Ultimate immediately when it becomes available and it can be held for a more Opportune time to use it without losing energy.

Saber will get an Action Advance from her A2 Trace Knight of the Dragon when she has the Mana Burst effect from her Ultimate and her Skill could fully regenerate her Energy. When receiving this Action Advance it will consume the Mana Burst effect and generate 1 skill point. Saber will get a stack of Mana Burst at the start of Combat as well as from each usage of her Ultimate.
This Action Advance means it is important to pay attention to Ultimate Timing on other characters, especially on characters that also restore energy to Saber like Sunday. If you use your Ultimates at a poor time it is possible to waste your Action Advance by triggering it when her turn is already going to be soon.

Build Advice

The most important thing to do for building Saber is making sure your SPD matches the team you intend to play her in. If you are playing her with a slower (roughly <150 SPD) action advance unit then it is important that Saber outspeeds the Action Advance unit to not waste turns.
If you are playing Saber with a fast (> 150-160 SPD) Action Advance Unit then the number of SPD substats required to bring Saber up to the SPD of the Action Advance unit can be prohibitive and it can often be better to play Saber at her Base SPD instead and have the Action Advance unit drag her to their speed.
More information on SPD tuning and teams is in the next sections but it is important to be careful to not waste Saber's own Action Advance from her A2 Trace Knight of the Dragon when advancing her with any Action Advance unit.

The second most important to do when building Saber is to cap her CRIT Rate. Saber receives a significant boost to CRIT DMG from her trace Crown of the Star and gets CRIT DMG from her best support unit Sunday making the damage gain from having capped CRIT Rate high. Saber receives 20% CRIT Rate from her trace Knight of the Dragon that is not accounted for on her Stats page out of combat meaning you only need to gear to 80% CRIT Rate which is reasonably easy to accomplish. Saber will also get 20% CRIT Rate from Sunday if you are playing her with him so in those teams you only need to gear to 60% CRIT Rate.

After building SPD to a satisfactory level and capping her CRIT Rate you will want to pursue ATK% rolls and CRIT DMG rolls to further enhance her damage. If you have her Signature Cone ATK% is slightly worse than CRIT DMG instead of being approximately equal but both stats are very close in value and you should try to maximise the total number of overall rolls over getting specifically CRIT DMG or ATK%.

An Energy Regeneration Rate rope is not ideal for Saber despite her entire kit focusing on Energy Generation and her Ultimate. This is because most of the Energy Saber generates is coming from Core Resonance which generates a fixed amount of energy that is not affected by Energy Regeneration Rate.

-1 SPD from AV Unit

This is the most common way to build Saber and is very effective. The core idea behind -1 SPD setups is that both Saber and her Action Advance Unit(s) will have at least enough SPD to reach a desired breakpoint, such as 134 SPD, with Saber having 1 more SPD so she will go first with the Advance Unit immediately after. This allows you to get the maximum effect out of the Advance unit doubling the total number of Saber's Turns. While building -1 SPD setups we suggest using SPD boots on Saber as it will make gearing her significantly easier.

Another perk of building Saber this way is that it means that your Action Advance unit is more versatile and you do not have to change their gear around or acquire specific gear for them when playing them with Saber allowing you to save Trailblazer Points.

It is very important to be mindful of when you use Ultimates when playing in a -1 SPD team as triggering her A2 Trace Knight of the Dragon at a poor time (such as directly after the Action Advance units skill) can waste the Action Advance entirely. This is especially important with any Ultimate that generates Energy such as Sunday, Tingyun or Huohuo.

When playing with Sparkle you do not build -1 SPD and instead build for 2/3rds the SPD of Sparkle. E.g. if Sparkle was 150 SPD you would build at least 100 SPD, or if Sparkle was 161 SPD you would build 107 SPD. This is because Sparkle is only a 50% Action Advance and not a 100% Action Advance.

Hyperspeed AV Unit

This is an alternate way to play Saber and is at least equally powerful to the standard -1 SPD setup. This works by having Saber be at her base SPD (ATK Shoes, as few SPD rolls as possible as they are wasted rolls in a setup like this) and the Action Advance unit with as much speed as possible (ideally 161+). The Action Advance unit then "drags" Sabers turn to match the Advance unit, effectively giving Saber their SPD. This can be a DPS gain since the individual value of Saber's turns is not as high as some Main DPS units due to getting a lot of stacks of Core Resonance from other Unit's Ultimates via Dragon Reactor Core.

One of the biggest advantages of this setup is that you do not need to be as mindful of triggering her A2 Trace Knight of the Dragon at a bad time. The only time you still have to pay attention is the turn in which you use your Action Advance Unit's Skill.

The biggest downside with building Saber or your team this way is that it requires you to heavily invest in SPD stats on your Action Advance Unit which is costly in Trailblazer Power and could have been spent on other units or getting higher gear quality for Saber instead. Another downside with gearing like this is that it eliminates SPD as a good substat for gear which makes rolling better relics harder as you are less likely to upgrade good stats.

No AV Unit

When playing with no Action Advance Unit we suggest running at least 134 SPD ideally running SPD boots as there is no other units on your team as Saber's own turns still contribute a significant amount of damage and Core Resonance stacks.

Furthermore, use Saber with Support Units that use their Ultimate very frequently like Tribbie, Silver Wolf or Pela. Alternatively, playing with units that grant energy like Tingyun to increase the total number of Ultimates via direct Energy Generation instead.

You still need to be mindful of triggering her A2 Trace Knight of the Dragon at a bad time even though you do not have an Action Advance unit because if you trigger it before Saber's turn you can lose a significant portion of progress towards her turn which can add up to several lost turns over the entire fight although this is less impactful than losing an Action Advance entirely like can happen with Action Advance units.

Best Synergies for Saber

Sunday
Sunday

Sunday is an absolutely perfect Support Unit for Saber. Sunday is an Action Advance Unit with very strong Buffs and the ability to generate Energy for Saber all while being at worst SP Neutral. Sunday provides 20% CRIT Rate, significant CRIT DMG buff and 30% DMG boost in addition to the Action Advance. Sunday's Ultimate will generate an incredible 72 energy for Saber.

Tribbie
Tribbie

Tribbie is a Harmony Support unit that is very powerful with Saber. Tribbie is a versatile Support that grants stats that Saber does not have: increased Damage Taken on enemies and RES PEN making her a very large Amplifier for Saber's damage. Tribbie also uses her Ultimate very frequently generating a significant amount of Core Resonance stacks. Tribbie can also use the Dance! Dance! Dance! 4★ Lightcone and be very effective even without having a premium 5★ Lightcone.

Silver Wolf
Silver Wolf

Silver Wolf is a Nihility Support with excellent damage boosting Debuffs that can spam her Ultimate making her work very well with Saber. Silver Wolf reduces enemy DEF by 57% and enemy All-Type RES by 13%. If the enemy is not Wind Weak she will implant Wind Weakness and reduce their RES by an additional 20% which is as if your carry is always on Element. Normally, Silver Wolf can use her Ultimate every 2 turns with Before the Tutorial Mission Starts, an Energy Regeneration Rate Rope, and Lushaka, the Sunken Seas Planar Set. If Silver Wolf has her E1 she can use her Ultimate every turn which makes her the best Core Resonance generator for Saber.

Cipher
Cipher

Cipher is a Nihility Support unit that is excellent with Saber. Cipher provides a large damage gain for Saber through a increased Damage Taken Vulnerability Aura she applies to the all enemies at all times as well as her damage replication mechanic that stores 24% of damage against her Patron target and 16% against all other targets. Cipher deals the stored damage as True Damage when she uses her Ultimate. Cipher does not need to apply any Debuffs for her Damage Amplifiers to work.

Tingyun
Tingyun

Tingyun is a 4★ Harmony Support that generates 50 Energy (60 at E6) for Saber every time Tingyun uses her Ultimate. Tingyun also provides a decent ATK % Buff and DMG% Buff for Saber making her a very compelling option despite being 4★. Tingyun can also use the Dance! Dance! Dance! 4★ Lightcone which is a large team DPS gain.

Huohuo
Huohuo

Huohuo is a Sustain unit that generates energy for Saber whenever Huohuo uses her ultimate. Huohuo's Ultimate will generate 72 Energy for Saber as well as increasing Saber's ATK by 40% for 2 turns. This Energy generation and ATK buff makes Huohuo the best sustain for Saber teams.

Gallagher
Gallagher

Gallagher is a 4★ Abundance Sustainer that advances himself every time he uses Ultimate making him take a lot of turns and generate his Ultimate very quickly. Gallagher builds his Ultimate approximately every 125AV (at 161 SPD) but can generate them as fast as every 111AV (at 180 SPD), which generates a lot of Core Resonance stacks for Saber. Gallagher can also wear the Quid Pro Quo Lightcone to generate Energy for the rest of the team on each of his Turns. Gallagher wearing Quid Pro Quo can generate energy for Saber comparable to Huohuo

Saber's Best Teams

This is not a comprehensive list of teams. The inclusion or exclusion of any given team does not necessarily reflect its power level. We have included several example teams that are more F2P friendly using 4★ characters that are lower power than the 5★ teams as examples. The sustain unit in each team can be swapped out.

Saber Sunday Tribbie Huohuo
Saber Sunday Silver Wolf Huohuo
Saber Sunday Cipher Huohuo
Saber Sunday Sparkle Huohuo
Saber Silver Wolf Sparkle Huohuo
Saber Silver Wolf Tribbie Gallagher
Saber Silver Wolf Cipher Gallagher
Saber Bronya Tingyun Gallagher
Saber Remembrance Trailblazer Tingyun Gallagher
Saber Pela Tingyun Gallagher

Saber's Best Eidolons

Sabers's Eidolons are relatively weak outside of her E6. It may be more efficient to invest in Support Eidolons over Saber Eidolons especially as those will benefit other teams and future units, such as getting Tribbie's very powerful E1.

If you wish to get Saber's Eidolons then E2 is a good stopping point as E1 and E2 are stronger than E3, E4 and E5 with the value only going back up again at E6.
Listed below are our calculations for Sabers's Eidolons.

Eidolon % Diff % Diff E0 Comment
The Lost White Walls 9.8% 9.8% Value can be closer to 20% if it gives you an extra Ultimate over the fight.
The Lost Oath of the Round Table 11.1% 22% This Eidolon is approximately 4% stronger in teams with DEF Shred like with Silver Wolf.
A Wish Across Fifteen Centuries 6.6% 30.1% Most of Saber's Damage is from her Ultimate making this Eidolon decent.
The Saga of Sixteen Winter Days 11.3% 44.9% Provides a good increase to DMG but takes a while to stack.
The Dreamed Utopian Dawn 2.8% 49% Affects a smaller portion of Saber's damage compared to the E3.
The Long Fated Night 50-70% 123-150% Incredibly Strong Eidolon. Value is higher if you win just after getting a 300 Energy Proc, tending down until the next.
Saeldur
Staff Author
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This guide was written by Saeldur, expert Honkai: Star Rail theorycrafter and guide writer for Icy Veins. Saeldur is a high-end HSR player with a deep understanding of the various characters while also clearing PF, MoC and AS when each cycle releases.